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In 2016, I saw my tastes in music grow a bit more. This would account for why you’ll see some albums make an appearance on this list that, if you know me, you wouldn’t normally expect to see here. Overall, I thought it was a pretty good year for music, but a number of times some of the albums I was most excited about lost something after numerous listen throughs. This could account for why some albums (if you know me) you’d expect to see on my list are noticeably absent.… Continued →

The Best of 2016: Ben Kunz Here’s my personal list of favorite albums that came out in 2016. This wasn’t as incredible a year for music as 2015 was for me, but it still ended up being pretty solid. I’m a long-winded guy so for the sake of anyone who might read this I saved the descriptions for the top 15 only. Check it out and let me know your thoughts below!! Secular artists who have little or no ties to the Christian music world have asterisks beside them.… Continued →

1. Showbread “Showbread is Showdead” How couldn’t I include my favorite Raw Rock band on this list? It’s sad that this is the final Showbread album, but I don’t think they could have ended their legacy any better. I didn’t think very highly of the last two albums, but “Showbread is Showdead” had me reminiscing on the good days of “Nihilism”. Any album that includes a song with a Korg synthesizer, screaming, a booming bass guitar, and a chorus that sounds like a cheerleader squad is cool in my books (e.g.… Continued →

Hand of Fire, thrash metal band from California, has announce that on January 6th they will be entering the studio to record their album Let the Killings Begin. Hand of Fire started as a vision of Jim Settle, formerly of Tantrum of the Muse. Settle got an official lineup including Tiago Souza, Tom Eaton, and Bill Davies in 2015 and started to perform live. The band has got Juan Urteaga to produce the album, Let the Killings Begin. Urteaga has produced several bands that are well known, including Exodus, Testament, Machine Head and Vicious Rumors.… Continued →

The Indian Christian metal band Final Surrender has released the lyric video for the song “Nothing But Void” for the EP of the same name. The band formed in 2010 with Joseph Samuel (Vocals), Sanjay Kumar (Guitar), James Stephanes (Guitar), Judah Sandhy (Bass), and Jared Sandhy (Drums). The band is signed to Rottweiler Records, where the EP will be released. Check it out here at HM Magazine. … Continued →

2016 was a great year for Christian music, so great in fact that I found it difficult to keep up with all of the releases coming out! These are the albums that I found myself listening to the most over the course of the year though, and after spending a few days listening to the others that I missed, I’m quite comfortable saying that these are the best releases of the year! 1. Switchfoot – Where the Light Shines Through 2. Dogs of Peace – Heel  3.… Continued →

1. Paper Route “Real Emotion” Picking a number one album for 2016 seemed impossible with so many great alternative and rock releases this year. But when I started looking at my most played songs of 2016 on Spotify, it became clear which album deserved top spot. Although Paper Route’s “Real Emotion” took a few listens to sink in, it is a great follow up to the “Peace of the Wild Things” and is deserving of being my pick for best album of 2016. 2. House of Heroes “Colors” House of Heroes finally put out a concept album after years of teasing us with loosely themed albums.… Continued →

Mark Nicks, though previously announcing the end of Cool Hand Luke with the release of Of Man, has recently announced on Facebook that a new album is on the way, estimated to arrive this spring. He has also published a blog post with quite a bit more insight which you can find here.… Continued →

Overall, I sadly didn’t feel like 2016 was saturated with tons and tons of great music and found myself grasping at straws to pull this list together. With that said, there truly are were a few gems and I encourage you to check out each of the bands on this list. I’ve also included a sampler play list at the bottom for quick reference. Hopefully something on this list will connect with you! 1. Viscera – My Epic There’s a reason these guys consistently make it onto “best of” lists.… Continued →

Here's a little list of some of my favorite releases this year. Check them out!

Thumper Punk Records has announced their releases and new bands for first part of 2017. First up on January 26th is the first ep is a 3 ep series of acoustic songs is Sef Idle (False Idle) and his contribution that will please fans of Green Day “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”, Tony Sly, Joey Cape, and Brian Fallon. Next up with be the acoustic offering from Lupe Gtrz of The Lonely Revolts, and then finally an ep from Jimmy Sisco of Platoon 1107.… Continued →

Check out my "Best of 2016" list and feel free to comment with your faves that I may have missed.

Check out all the new music released this week below. If you know of anything we missed leave us a comment and let us know. You can find more new music in the Album Release Database. CCM & Pop

• TWELVE24 – The Book (Praisecamp Song 2016) [Single]
• TWELVE24 – Riot (Krussen 2017 Song) [Single]
• V.Rose – Here With Us [Single]

Praise & Worship

• Aaron Shust – You Redeem (Studio Version) [Single]
• Jonathan Stockstill – Your Voice [Single]
• Laura Hackett Park – No Other Name [Single]

       … Continued →

The Christian metalcore giants Sleeping Giant have released a new music video for “Victory”. The band is very passionate about Jesus but also about this organization they support to end Human Trafficking. The music video was shot in Cambodia where poverty is plentiful. Support this organization. Support the band. Victory to all. … Continued →

Facedown Records has been rather notorious for throwing a festival each year since the early 2000’s to give people a show and sometimes to showcase bands for the label. On December 26, Impending Doom spoiled that they would be playing, though Facedown is no longer their label. In May, the 11th through the 13th is when the festival will occur. Another interesting tidbit, each member of the defunct band A Plea for Purging also shared the dates via his Instagram. None of the members are in another band, and there wasn’t another band they were in on Facedown, so best bet is A Plea for Purging reunion.… Continued →

Facedown Records, a label that has been a home to several bands over the years including the famed Impending Doom and the now resting For Today, is hosting a Christmas sale until New Years. The label has been around for 20 years in 2017. They have hosted a number of bands over the years, many of which have gone on to have great success. The label’s offer only has a few days left. Get over there fast.… Continued →

Chris Jackson is known for writing songs for Cheryl Cole, Tank, Toni Braxton, and B. Smyth. During our chat, Chris reveals his own recording talents on his just released album, No Chaser. Dave Hawkins: It’s great to have you here for a talk Chris. Chris Jackson: Great to be here man. Thank you for having me. Dave: When we were setting up this interview, you told that you were in Los Angeles and wanted to wait until you were back in New York City for our talk.… Continued →

Check out the fabulous new song titled “In Your Pocket” from Devin Shelton off his upcoming album “Sensation” due out January 6th 2017. This catchy album full of R&B type melodies and instrumentation will please fans of Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, Devin Shelton’s prior work, The Postal Service, and even Emery. I’ve been listening to the album since Bad Christian sent it to me and I’m definitely enjoying it. Pre-order/purchase right here. … Continued →

Former Slow Coming Day singer/guitarist Orion Walsh will release his brand new full length titled simply, “7”, on January 7th 2017. You can pre-order the album on bandcamp right here for $7.00. Any money earned through his bandcamp will help him on his upcoming solo tour through the U.S. and Europe. Purchase now and get 3 songs instantly through download and stream through the bandcamp app. This album is the first proper follow up to “Love Isn’t What You Would Expect” which released in 2015. … Continued →

Check out this playlist featuring all the Indie Vision Music Releases currently available on Spotify. More on the way including the great Light The Way release that Indie Vision Music will be distributing. Exciting stuff on the horizon. Also, we are all working on our “Best of Lists” for 2016 and are hoping to have them up by end of year. All of these Indie Vision Music releases are available on Digital networks including iTunes, Amazon, Google, Emusic, and more plus will hopefully be available through Pandora soon.… Continued →

Let’s talk about perfection executed through a concept album that never loses its flavor or mysteriousness. After announcing their break up years ago, Falling Up thankfully returned though transitioning into a studio band for the most part – rarely playing shows. From Fangs! back in 2009, Falling Up has made a consistent and indisputable case that they are the kings of experimental rock among the Christian music scene. Their final album, rightfully self titled because it encompasses the greatest of all their albums, is one to behold as a masterpiece.… Continued →

The Christian deathcore band Toarn has been working hard since 2009. This year, 2016, the band released an EP titled Giant Killer through Luxor Records, a label run by Nick Morris of As They Sleep. The label consists of bands such as Upon a Broken Throne, Broken Flesh, and My Heart to Fear. The band released a music video for the title track. Enjoy. … Continued →

Check out all the new music released this week below. If you know of anything we missed leave us a comment and let us know. You can find more new music in the Album Release Database. Alternative & Rock

• May Weather – Spring Forward
• twenty one pilots – TOPxMM: The MUTEMATH Sessions [EP] [Fueled by Ramen]

Hip Hop & Rap

• Mike Sarge – Graduated [Single]

Pop

• Chris Sligh – Mighty Roar / Healing flood

… Continued →

Earlier this month, Rapzilla premiered Descendantz’ music video for “Undeniable.” For those unfamiliar with this classic group, its members include Eddie Nigma, DJ Morph, and ELPro. Erick Dayz, Datin, and Selah the Corner join the crew to showcase their skills on the track. If you’ve been bored with hip-hop lately, you won’t want to miss out on hearing this face-melting song.… Continued →

Silent Planet had a good year with their Everything Was Sound record. The album did extremely well and so did the songs. “Panic Room” was one of those songs. “Panic Room” is a song that talks about PTSD essentially. Check it out. … Continued →

New footage of Ted Bond and Juice of Craig’s Brother working on a new demo called “Meilynn’s Song”. Check it out below. There is talk of the band doing a crowd funding campaign to go towards a NEW album. Would you support this? Don’t forget about the Craig’s Brother “Lost at Sea: Revisited” and “Logo” shirts/hoodies/tanks/women’s t’s on sale now right here. … Continued →

Tickets to the Mxpx, Five Iron Frenzy, and Dogwood show in San Diego on January 13th are almost sold out, get tickets here. Tickets to the Ventura show are about half sold, get tickets here. Now is the perfect opportunity to get your tickets so order fast before they are gone for good! Check out the ultra cool posters for both shows, below.… Continued →

Get 4 great releases from The Blamed FOR FREE right here courtesy of Grrr Records. Albums will only remain free until December 23rd (Friday) so get in on the action NOW!. The albums include “Isolated Incident”, “Germany Ep”, “Forever”, and “Again”. These were the albums released after T&N. The band is currently plotting their return via new music they are currently working on, stay tuned.… Continued →

The black metal/death metal band A Hill to Die Upon has something new on the horizon. The band teased something new on December 15, 2016, saying that in March 2017 there will be something new. The band formed in 2004 with brothers Adam (Guitar, Vocals) and Michael Cook (Drums), and Bassist Elisha Mullins. Mullins left in 2011 to pursue joining the band The Burial (Facedown Records). The band now has a full line-up consisting of the Cooks, Nolan Osmond (Guitar), Brent Dossett (Bass), and Tanner Jones (Guitar).… Continued →

“The Waiting Room” is Trip Lee’s sixth project. As mentioned in this article from Fuse, this is not a proper album per se, hence it being deemed a ‘mixtape.’ Such a term is one of ambiguity, as it can refer to an album with blending and scratching, where the songs flow together, while it can also refer to an album with non-cleared samples and stolen beats from bourgeois producers or beat makers. Trip offers something that differs from both definitions, and I think he does so successfully.… Continued →